Sedentary behavior and physical inactivity may increase the risk of obesity. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to investigate: i) the prevalence/incidence of sedentary behavior and physical inactivity, ii) the association of sedentary behavior and physical inactivity with obesity, and iii) the objective and subjective measures, diagnostic criteria, and cut-off points to estimate sedentary behavior and physical inactivity in adults and older adults with obesity. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis in PubMed, Scielo, Lilacs, and Cochrane Library databases. A meta-analysis of a random-effects model was performed to estimate the combined prevalence of sedentary behavior and physical inactivity and their association with obesity. Twenty-three studies involving 638,000 adults and older adults were included in the systematic review. A meta-analysis was conducted with 111,851 individuals with obesity. The combined prevalence of sedentary behavior was 31% (95% CI, 23-41%), and physical inactivity was 43% (95% CI, 31-55%). Significant associations between obesity and sedentary behavior (OR 1.45, 95% CI, 1.21-1.75) and physical inactivity (OR 1.52, 95% CI, 1.23-1.87) were found. Nine studies have used objective measures to assess physical activity levels, such as accelerometers and pedometers, whereas fourteen applied subjective methods and self-reported questionnaires. As expected, we found elevated rates of sedentary behavior and physical inactivity in individuals with obesity and a positive risk association. The wide range of objective and subjective measures, methods and cut-offs resulted in great variations of physical inactivity and sedentary behavior estimates. PROSPERO (CRD42016037747).

Physical inactivity commonly occurs throughout one’s life, particularly during adolescence and young adulthood. Multiple factors can negatively influence participation in physical activity, but there has been no review examining the barriers to physical activity among high school and university students. Therefore, the aim of this systematic review was to summarize evidence of barriers to the practice of physical activity among high school and university students. The literature search was conducted without time limits using five databases, including CINAHL, Cochrane Library, Embase, PubMed, and Scopus. In total, 59 studies (37 with high school students [n = 22,908] and 22 with university students [n = 15,411]) were included. The main barriers identified in high school and university students were lack of time, lack of motivation, and lack of accessible places. These findings may be useful in designing and implementing evidence-informed interventions and programs for physical activity promotion in students.

Background: Multimorbidity is defined as the presence of multiple chronic conditions in the same individual. Multimorbidity is more prevalent in older adults and can lead to several adverse health outcomes. Methods: We systematically reviewed evidence from observational studies to verify the association between multimorbidity and hospitalization in older adults. Furthermore, we also aimed to identify whether it changes according to gender, advanced age, institutionalization, and wealth of the country of residence. We searched the PubMed, Embase and Scopus databases from December 2020 to April 2021. The analysed outcomes were as follows: hospitalization, length of stay and hospital readmission. Results: Of the 6,948 studies identified in the databases, 33 were included in this review. From the meta-analysis results, it was found that multimorbidity, regardless of the country’s wealth, was linked to hospitalization in older adults (OR = 2.52, CI 95% = 1.87–3.38). Both definitions of multimorbidity, ≥2 (OR = 2.35, 95% CI = 1.34–4.12) and ≥3 morbidities (OR = 2.52, 95% CI = 1.87–3.38), were associated with hospitalization. Regardless of gender, multimorbidity was associated with hospitalization (OR = 1.98, 95% CI = 1.67–2.34) and with readmission (OR = 1.07, 95% CI = 1.04–1.09). However, it was not possible to verify the association between multimorbidity and length of stay. Conclusions: Multimorbidity was linked to a higher hospitalization risk, and this risk was not affected by the country’s wealth and patient’s gender. Multimorbidity was also linked to a higher hospital readmission rate in older adults. PROSPERO Registration (Registration number: CRD42021229328).

Summary: Evidence shows a strong relationship between obesity, cancer and cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk. However, there is not enough evidence of the role of visceral obesity on both CVD and cancer. Visceral obesity may be more pro‐oncogenic than total body fat. Therefore, it is important to know whether abdominal obesity can lead to both CVD and cancer. The present integrative review aimed at evaluating epidemiological evidence on the potential connection of visceral obesity in the occurrence of cancer and CVD. The following databases were searched: SCOPUS, PubMed, Science Direct, Lilacs, SciELO, Google Scholar, Web of Science, Scopus and ProQuest. The presence of visceral obesity can increase the risk of some specific cancer types, but there is controversial evidence about CVD risk based on sex‐specific and ageing analyses. There is enough evidence that visceral obesity increases the risk of colorectal, pancreatic and gastro‐oesophageal cancer. However, for some types of cancer such as breast, endometrial and renal, visceral obesity is a risk only in post‐menopausal women. Regarding prostate cancer, the evidence is controversial. Despite the risk of visceral obesity being consistently associated with CVD in adults, this association disappears in sex‐specific and older adults analyses. Moreover, in older adults, the results are controversial due to the use of different measures such as waist circumference and visceral adipose tissue. However, the evidence showing visceral obesity as a risk factor to CVD remains controversial. Sex differences, ageing and body mass index (BMI) category can potentially modify this association. Therefore, further epidemiological studies with analyses stratified by sex and samples including older adults aged 65 and older are needed.

The association between obesity, cancer and cardiovascular disease (CVD) has been demonstrated in animal and epidemiological studies. However, the specific role of visceral obesity on cancer and CVD remains unclear. Visceral adipose tissue (VAT) is a complex and metabolically active tissue, that can produce different adipokines and hormones, responsible for endocrine-metabolic comorbidities. This review explores the potential mechanisms related to VAT that may also be involved in cancer and CVD. In addition, we discuss the shared pharmacological treatments which may reduce the risk of both diseases. This review highlights that chronic inflammation, molecular aspects, metabolic syndrome, secretion of hormones and adiponectin associated to VAT may have synergistic effects and should be further studied in relation to cancer and CVD. Reductions in abdominal and visceral adiposity improve insulin sensitivity, lipid profile and cytokines, which consequently reduce the risk of CVD and some cancers. Several medications have shown to reduce visceral and/or subcutaneous fat. Further research is needed to investigate the pathophysiological mechanisms by which visceral obesity may cause both cancer and CVD. The role of visceral fat in cancer and CVD is an important area to advance. Public health policies to increase public awareness about VAT’s role and ways to manage or prevent it are needed.

The objectives of this systematic review were to estimate the prevalence of depression and to identify the relationship between depression and quality of life (QOL) among high school and university students. Literature search was performed in the Scopus, Embase, PubMed, Scielo, CINAHL and Web of Science databases, following the PRISMA methodology. The results were presented through descriptive approaches and meta-analysis. Thirty-six studies met the eligibility criteria, and twenty-six were included in the meta-analysis. The prevalence of depressive symptoms was 27% (95% CI 0.21–0.33) among students, being high school and university students was 25% (95% CI 0.14–0.37) and 27% (95% CI 0.20–0.34), respectively, and most studies have shown that depression was associated with low QOL. Among the limitations of the study is the difficulty of generalizing the results found, considering the large sample of health students. New studies should be conducted considering the severity, duration, and patterns of depressive symptoms in high school and university students, to better understand the relationship between depression and QOL.